Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Samuel Noreau played midget hockey for the Lac St. Louis Tigers and was selected by Baie-Comeau in the fifth round (76th overall) of the 2009 QMJHL Priority Draft.

2009-10: Noreau appeared in 34 games as a rookie for a Baie-Comeau team that won just 21 games and finished last in the QMJHL’s Eastern division. Noreau scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -16 with 17 PMs.

2010-11: Noreau established himself as one of the tougher players in the Quebec League on a Baie-Comeau team that was again one of the worst in junior hockey – winning just twelve games and finishing last in the East division. In 67 games, Noreau scored 5 goals with 5 assists while racking up 141 PMs. Given the Drakkar’s struggles, Noreau’s -13 plus/minus ranking was somewhat respectable on a team that was out-scored by opponents 266-151. Noreau was ranked 183rd amongst North American skaters by Central Scouting in the final rankings and selected by the Rangers in the 5th round (136th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: Noreau skated with the other Rangers prospects in the Traverse City Tournament and appeared to use the tournament as a springboard for a strong third junior season with Baie-Comeau. He provided toughness on the back line while chipping in with 5 goals and 12 assists in 58 games. Noreau’s 92 penalty minutes were second only to team-leader Gabriel Verpaelst (second in the league with 173 minutes). After finishing last in the East Division the Drakkar reached the second round in the QMJHL playoffs. Noreau was an even plus/minus with no points and 18 penalty minutes in 8 playoff games.

2012-13: Noreau was one of two defensemen to top 30 points for a powerful Baie-Comeau team that finished first in the East Division and reached the QMJHL Finals. He scored 7 goals, all on the Drakkar power play, and had 25 assists in 66 games; finishing +19 with 64 penalty minutes. Baie-Comeau lost to eventual Memorial Cup champion Halifax in the finals and in 15 playoff games Noreau scored 2 goals with 1 assist and was -2 with 12 penalty minutes. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Rangers in May, 2013.

2013-14: Noreau skated in five games for Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford in his first pro season — spending most of the year with the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors. Noreau was -1 with no points and 6 penalty minutes playing in the AHL. He scored 1 goal with 9 assists and was +16 with 90 penalty minutes in 61 games for Greenville. The Road Warriors finished third in the South Division before reaching the Eastern Conference finals against Cincinnati. Noreau had 4 assists and was +8 with 29 penalty minutes in 14 playoff games.

2014-15: Noreau appeared in four AHL games with Hartford in his second pro season and played in 67 of 68 regular season games for the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors. He had no points and was -1 with 13 penalty minutes in four games with the Wolfpack. Noreau scored 2 goals with 11 assists and was +1, finishing second to Emerson Clark with 114 penalty minutes for the Road Warriors. Greenville missed the playoffs despite winning 39 of 72 games, finishing two points behind Orlando for the final spot in the competitive East Division.

2015-16: Noreau spent the season in the ECHL — appearing in three games with the Evansville Icemen and spending the bulk of the season on loan to the first-year Norfolk Admirals. In 60 regular season games he scored 5 goals with 11 assists, all with the Admirals. Noreau had 24 penalty minutes in his three-game stint with Evansville and was second on the Admirals with 140 penalty minutes.

Talent Analysis

Noreau is a huge, hard-nosed, stay-at-home blueliner who likes to take the body, as well as drop the gloves and intimidate to protect his teammates. Questions exist, however, as to his skating, positioning and hockey sense.

Future

Noreau spent the 2015-16 season in the ECHL, not with Rangers' affiliate Greenville but spending the bulk of the season on loan to the Norfolk Admirals. One of the heavyweights in that league, Noreau's overall game has not progressed during his three-year pro career and he is not expected to be re-signed by the Rangers when his original entry-level ends in June 2016.

Photo: Defenseman Troy Donnay is one of four prospects representing the New York Rangers in the CHL. The 19-year-old was signed to an NHL entry-level contract during the 2013 off-season. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The New York Rangers currently have only four prospects playing major junior hockey. This is the lowest number of prospects assigned to the CHL in recent memory and reflects both a switch in drafting tendencies, as well as the fact the Rangers had a combined nine draft picks in 2012 and 2013.

Photo: Dylan McIlrath has gradually developed into a dependable and physical defensive defenseman. The New York Rangers selected McIlrath 10th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

It seems like a distant memory now, but just six or seven years ago, the New York Rangers had few homegrown players on their NHL roster. Big name free agents were the norm for this original six team, with few of the team's prospects ever appearing in more than one or two games on Broadway.

Photo: Forward Oscar Lindberg is expected to make his NHL debut in 2013-14. Lindberg was acquired in a trade with Phoenix in 2011. (courtesy of Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)

The upper portion of the New York Rangers Top 20 has not changed for several cycles. Chris Kreider remains the premier player among a very talented group, while Danny Kristo, obtained in a July 2013 trade with Montreal, now occupies the number two position.

Photo: Blainville-Boisbriand Aramada defenseman and Detroit Red Wings prospect Xavier Ouellet has had a memorable 2012-13 season, likely his final QMJHL season before turning pro (courtesy of Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

The QMJHL may not be traditionally viewed as a fertile development ground for defensemen. But recent history has proved the opposite, with the league producing NHL talent such as Florida's Dmitri Kulikov and Pittsburgh's Kris Letang as well as top prospects like Montreal's Nathan Beaulieu and Phoenix's Brandon Gormley.

Photo: Michael St. Croix is one of only four Rangers prospects playing at the CHL level in 2012-13. (Derek Leung/Getty Images)

For the first time in many years, the New York Rangers have fewer junior players in their system than almost any other NHL team. There are only four New York prospects skating in the CHL this season, two in the WHL, and one in each of the QMJHL and OHL. Although this is partly the result of the team moving toward drafting players headed to college, it also can be explained by the small number of selections that New York has had in recent drafts. In the last three years, the Rangers have only drafted 16 players, including four in the 2012 NHL Draft. Of the four drafted in 2012, two are playing for NCAA teams and two are continuing their development in Europe.